Complications of Solid Organ Transplantation: Cardiovascular, Neurologic, Renal, and Gastrointestinal

Crit Care Clin. 2019 Jan;35(1):169-186. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2018.08.011. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Abstract

Despite improvements in overall graft function and patient survival rates after solid organ transplantation, complications can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular complications include heart failure, arrhythmias leading to sudden death, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and allograft vasculopathy in heart transplantation. Neurologic complications include stroke, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, infections, neuromuscular disease, seizure disorders, and neoplastic disease. Acute kidney injury occurs from immunosuppression with calcineurin inhibitors or as a result of graft failure after kidney transplantation. Gastrointestinal complications include infections, malignancy, mucosal ulceration, perforation, biliary tract disease, pancreatitis, and diverticular disease. Immunosuppression can predispose to infections and malignancy.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Calcineurin inhibitors; Hypertension; New-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT); Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome; Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder; Solid organ transplant.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / nursing
  • Critical Care Nursing / standards*
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Diseases / etiology
  • Gastrointestinal Diseases / nursing
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / standards*
  • Kidney Diseases / etiology
  • Kidney Diseases / nursing*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nervous System Diseases / etiology
  • Nervous System Diseases / nursing
  • Organ Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Organ Transplantation / nursing*
  • Postoperative Care / standards*
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology*
  • Postoperative Complications / nursing*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic